"Medical personnel from a local clinic treated survivors. Two (survivors) stayed with them, and an additional five survivors who required a higher level of medical care were transported to an Anchorage hospital," he said.

Megan Peters, with the department of public safety, identified the dead as Tony W. Degroot, 80, of Hanford, California; James P. Fletcher, 70, of Clovis, California; and James Specter, 69, of Shavertown, Pennsylvania.

The crash happened just north of the Iliamna Airport, near Eastwind Lake.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the circumstances and cause of the crash, which were not immediately clear.